Friday, October 30, 2015

Mass Pardon of Crooked Politicians

Vanuatu's parliamentary speaker Marcellino Pipite (left) used his interim executive powers while the country’s President was abroad to pardon himself and thirteen other MPs, including Deputy Prime Minister, Moana Carcasses.

Note that under Vanuatu law, the speaker acts as president when the latter is travelling overseas and has the powers of pardoning, commutation and reduction of sentences.

Justice Mary Sey had ruled on October 09, 2015 that payments amounting to 35 million vat ($452,000) were corruptly made by the deputy prime minister, corruptly received, and designed to influence MPs in their capacity as public officials.
The fourteen crooked politicians were due to be sentenced on October 22. They faced a maximum of 10 years in jail along with the loss of their seats in parliament.

When Baldwin Lonsdale returned, he said Pipite had acted unlawfully and promised action. He has since then overturned those pardons, citing constitutional obligations on leaders to conduct themselves in such a way that avoided conflicts of interest, compromising official duties, demeaning the office, allowing their integrity to be called into question, or endangering or diminishing respect for - or confidence in – the integrity of Vanuatu's government.

We know that
Malaysia is no different. Money and corruption are already ruining the country.

There is no compromise when it comes to corruption. You have to fight it. And win.

On Tuesday, I was at the TMIKL Toastmasters meeting where I was given a speaking a lot. I presented CC speech #3 and the title was given by club member Rhoda Omar. This meeting witnessed seven speakers including yours truly.